LAS CRUCES - Brian Stevenson, the third of five candidates in the running to become the next New Mexico State University chancellor, during a visit to campus touted his multicultural background, fluency in Spanish and strides made as past president of a Canadian university.

Stevenson, 60, a business professor and recent former president at Lakehead University in Canada, on Monday became the third of five NMSU chancellor candidates to address students, faculty, staff and the general public in a series of question-and-answer forums.

'Citizen of North America'

He was born in Canada but spent time growing up in Mexico, where his mother was from; the United States; and Canada.

"And I've worked in all three countries," he said. "I'm kind of a citizen of North America. My first language is Spanish."

In applying for chancellor, Stevenson said his experience is a good fit for NMSU, a Hispanic-serving institution. He said he didn't believe transition from working in Canada to New Mexico would be hindrance, though he admitted he'd have to "cope with the fact that there's no snow, and it's warm."

"I've spent a lot of time in Mexico, and I spent a lot of time in the U.S.," he said. "I think that the educational system is very similar; I've worked in four different jurisdictions in Mexico and Canada, so I think I'll be able to adapt well to the circumstances here. But I think for me, what's important is the mission of NMSU is a mission I have connection to — the Hispanic mission, the mission to indigenous people, the access that's part of the land grant mission is the experience I have had in the institution I'm currently at and at the previous ones."

NMSU is already exploring the possibility of establishing a campus in Mexico. Stevenson said he thinks that's a "very forward looking idea" that he could help advance, particularly because he speaks Spanish and has a lot of contacts there.

"I think that NMSU can become one of the top two or three premier American institutions in Mexico," he said.

Past presidency

Stevenson is on sabbatical from his professorship at Lakehead University and is a research fellow at the University of California-San Diego and at Queens University. His current work specializes in trade policy and NAFTA. He was president and vice-chancellor of Lakehead University from 2010 to 2017 before he stepped down from the role.

Asked about why he stepped down from the previous presidency, Stevenson said he'd accomplished what he intended to in the role.

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Brian Stevenson, one of the candidates for New Mexico State University chancellor, speaks to press at Corbett Center, Monday April 30, 2018.(Photo11: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

"There was a new strategic plan, a new academic plan that was going to start for another five-year period, and I felt I had done my part to contribute to the university," he said. "I left the university in very good shape, and I think it was time for somebody else to take over and for me to have another opportunity."

Continued Stevenson: "I also wanted to go back a little bit and spend some time on research and my own academic time. That's something I've done the last few months."

At the helm of Lakehead University, Stevenson oversaw an "intense period of growth, internationalization and a greatly enhanced national and global profile," according to that university's website. To a group of about 50 attendees in the public forum, Stevenson highlighted significant gains in graduate student numbers and international student numbers while president. He said revenue increased, several new programs were founded, including one that attracted students from Mexico, and the institution was named among the Top 10 of its tier in Canada.

Enrollment and retention

As for how he'd address NMSU's ongoing enrollment and retention challenges, a major concern of the institution's five-member governing body, Stevenson said he'd apply a short-term strategy to attract more students from the region and abroad, especially Mexico and Latin America. But a long-term vision would be to cultivate interest from local students as early as the fourth grade to prevent them from dropping out of school and continuing on to community college or the university, something he did at Lakehead University.

"If the best indication of future success is past success, I have a really good track record," he said in response to a question about why he thinks he's the best candidate. "I have tackled all of the issues, successfully, that NMSU has been facing — budget cuts, enrollment decline, and drop-out rates and all that. I have a pretty good idea and a pretty good record on how to do it."

He said he'd want to focus on supporting faculty and promoting values that encourage students to become community leaders. Stevenson said he believes soon-to-retire NMSU Chancellor Garrey Carruthers has done well in his role, and he'd like to continue where Carruthers leaves off.

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Brian Stevenson, one of the candidates for New Mexico State University chancellor, speaks at Corbett Center, Monday April 30, 2018.(Photo11: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

Remote learning

Michael Morehead, a retired dean of the NMSU College of Education, asked Stevenson his viewpoint on the role of online education. Stevenson said he believes a variety of instructional delivery methods should be used. But he noted Lakehead University had success using an "immersive" screen and audio technology to host remote classes between two of its major campuses. He'd explore that possibility for NMSU.

"It has become extraordinarily popular," he said.

Stevenson holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Victoria in British Columba and a doctorate degree from Queen's University in Ontario. He began his career at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México in Mexico City, where he founded that institution's Canadian studies program. He then took a job at the University of Alberta School of Business.

He then served as senior policy advisory to the Canadian Ministers of International Trade and Foreign Affairs in Ottawa before returning to the University of Alberta as vice-provost and associate vice-president of the school of business.

Upcoming visits

Two candidates who've visited the NMSU campus already are John Floros, dean of the Kansas State University agriculture college and K-State Cooperative Extension, and Robert Marley, provost and executive vice chancellor at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Dan Arvizu, Ph.D., NMSU engineering department alumnus and former director and chief executive officer of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, will visit May 1-3